I fully agree with the Booker Prize judges that FLESH is "singular" and "extraordinary." I can see why it won! I do, though, have a few arguments to make.
NO READING REQUIRED! Find out why we are SO DRAWN to this unlikely, enduring classic. Also: I grapple with the sequel.
This deep dive into the importance of our everyday objects--together with compelling reason why we homebodies love home--was such an eye-opener! Listen in to hear how our things provide crucial, existential cues. Also: allow me to GIVE YOU FULL PERMISSION to handle that not-so-wanted gift you're about to receive this holiday season.
This work might only be 116 pages, but it feels enormous--in the very best of ways. You could study it for years and not fully comprehend its unique structure, its strange atmosphere and the uncanny originality of this prose. Listen in now to find out why Johnson is held as one of the best American writers of all time.
Did you love this when it came out in 2020? Are you picking it up now because Reid seems even smarter after being named as a Booker judge? Either way, listen in to hear why I loved the prose, character development and general vibe of this work. She tackles BIG questions, all in a highly familiar, fraught and delicious domestic world that provides all kinds of grist for my mill.
From gladiators to babies to dogs to basketball--this quick talk touches on a LOT. All in the context of everyday gestures! Listen in to find out the best way to position yourself on a zoom call, how gestures actually make you smarter and why you should NEVER sit on your hands.
Few stories are so ingrained in our collective unconscious. But do you know how it was published? the many ways it has shaped the way we celebrate? why it has endured so masterfully and spawned so many adaptations? Listen in to either get into the holiday spirit, or to really engage your inner Scrooge!
This is a whole new thing! It's only 13 minutes! Thirteen being plenty of minutes for a deep dive into the MOST INSANE EXPERIENCE I had recently with English vocabulary. Listen in! You will be SHOOK.
I keep wanting wintery books/shows/crafts/projects that aren't too silly or saccharine. This absolutely fits that bill. And it's a complete MASTERPIECE. It might be brief but there is sooooo much to talk about. You'll come away feeling just a little bit smarter, and way winterier.
Whether you've never read her or Christie is your favorite, I like to think this'll be eye opening. You'll learn why the "queen of crime" is exceptional and why it's no surprise that she's the best-selling writer OF ALL TIME (except Shakespeare and the Bible...). It might not be quite midwinter but conjure up a little seasonal ambience with Christie's smart, charming, wintery tale.
I do not know why, but I picked up this beauty of a book a couple of times and put it down. WOW am I glad I finally read it. This novel is feels subtle, brief and--at the same time--enormous. There is so much grist for our mill! Listen in to be sure you don't miss out on those poignant depths.
When a novella tells you in the jacket copy that twenty sailors went swimming and twenty-one came back, you know you're in for some mystery. But that's obviously not ALL the mystery. I'm still not sure I have all the answers but wow was it fun to look for them. Including digressions about Dr. Seuss, iambic pentameter and so much more!
I re-read Hamnet because of the MOVIE adaptation, but was SHOOK by how deftly O'Farrell surmounts the MANY pitfalls of historical fiction. We dive deep into: why her vision of the era is so vivid; how Shakespeare is everywhere but also nowhere; how this is a feminist novel; and all the ways the prose transports, affects and inspires the reader. Seriously, treat yourself now.
NO READING REQUIRED! Kimberly explains why FRANKENSTEIN is more relevant than ever. Treat yourself to discussion of: Mary Shelley's insanely colorful life, elements of the gothic novel, what makes the prose so timeless, Percy Bysshe Shelley's role--and why we all need to hear the classic novel's CAUTIONARY TALE.
You might think of CARRIE is just SCARY , but narrative stance, sophisticated structure, use of motif and "scientific evidence" are all integral in making it so good. Treat yourself .
Ditlevsen's three-volume memoir has made a huge impression on American readers. When I found it slightly underwhelming, I wondered if I would appreciate the work more fully if I knew her FICTION. She's hugely critically acclaimed in her native Denmark. She's written 29 books. A look at one very short story will shift your perspective, leaving you with a much deeper appreciation of this literary icon.
I was really moved by Salvage the Bones. Tune in to find out why Ward's work just keeps getting better and better.
Weirdly, amazon added the subtitle "A Detective Mystery" to Small Mercies. When one of the best things about this book is that it's NOT a detective at the center. You all know this genre isn't my usual fare, but Lehane's historical focus, together with his excellent prose, and dialogue (plus plot, duh) made this so satisfying to dive into.
Didion is never afraid to stare down the most troubling parts of our country--incisively and boldly. Which somehow always makes me feel better?? Herein I argue for the importance of this seminal work, I touch on Didion’s biography ,then dig into why her engaging, dark, entirely inimitable prose deserves its iconic status. (parts 2 and 3 below)
Isabel Allende's THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS didn't just build upon the magic realism established by García Márquez's ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE. Allende's 1982 novel (published in Spain, not her native Chile for political reasons) was immensely popular with Americans when it was published in English in 1985. Indulge in a reminder of these absolute masterpieces while learning more about how they relate to one another, more about magic realism in general, and how the historical-political situations in Colombia and Chile influenced both works. Kimberly had SO much fun with this. Join in now.